Skin
by Niamh Cyneburg
Summary: Paul and Rachel find it easier to do their talking without saying a word. That's what music is for anyway, isn't it? Howling At The Moon universe. Not posting in the out-takes because I am paranoid about the rating. M to be safe.


**A.N.- **A plot bunny bit me. A RABID plot bunny. Nuff said. (Timeline – is when they get back from the club in Chapter 3 from 'Howling at the Moon') Don't forget to review!

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><p><strong>Skin<strong>

Rachel Black sighed as she hooked her fingers into her 4 inch heels and slid them off her feet. Dancing for hours in those would make anyone's feet ache. She grimaced at the pinched feeling her toes were subjected to in the name of fashion. 'Oh well' she thought, 'dignity under difficulty.' Giggling at her inane thought process, she proceeded to stretch out her poor abused toes and 'make fists with her toes in the carpet.'

Her friends laughed at her taking advice from Bruce Willis but she swore that doing this made the circulation come back to her feet that much quicker.

Standing on the rug at the bottom of her bed, she unzipped the pretty dress she had worn to go out that night. Smiling to herself, she remembered Paul's jaw dropping when he saw her in it. She very rarely wore dresses, and had only done so because tonight had been a special occasion. Emily and Sam were finally celebrating their engagement, but Paul had been completely unaware of his alpha, and his alpha's fiancée, the second he had caught sight of Rachel in that dress and the heels that went with them.  
>He had stared at her with his mouth open until Jared had snorted and elbowed him in the side. That had seemed to bring him back to earth and he had swooped down on her for a kiss that left her breathless and shaky. "I really don't want to go anywhere right now, except maybe back to your place," he had whispered in that husky voice that left her week in the knees.<p>

Pulling the pins that had held her hair up for the past few hours; Rachel tipped her head over and ran her fingers through her previously restrained hair, moaning softly at the feeling of her fingers massaging her scalp. Standing right side up again, she was startled to see Paul leaning in her doorway and watching her with dark hooded eyes. "Hey," she murmured. "I thought you were going to run patrol and come by when you were done." She noticed that he was still wearing the dark jeans and shirt he had worn to the club that evening. Pulling off the jacket he wore just to blend in with the people who didn't run at a 108 kind of temperature, he replied, "I _am_ done with patrols. I told Sam that I was not going tonight, because I desperately needed some time with my imprint."

Rachel grinned at him in the mirror as she removed her earrings, leaning back as he stepped behind her, holding her hips in his large yet gentle hands. Nuzzling her neck with his nose, Paul placed small kisses along her jawline, ending with one just behind her ear. Shivering, Rachel stepped away and told him, "I still feel sticky, so I'm going to take a shower. Get comfy, I'll be right back."  
>Giggling at his pouty face that she was leaving him alone, she winked and then raced to the shower. While in the shower she couldn't help but think of how far they had come in the past few months. She had been convinced that La Push was subject to a bout of insanity that seemed to have affected them all, when she had first heard about the wolves.<br>That had been followed by a brief period of hurt and anger when she thought she would be forced to spend the rest of her life with Paul because he had imprinted on her. He had been horrified that she had assumed she would be forced to do anything. Explaining to her that she could do anything she wanted, if only it made her happy had taken a while, but she had finally believed him. So many things had happened between them since then, and she now understood why she was supposed to be with him. They really were perfect for each other.

Despite what everyone said about opposites attract, she and Paul were together because of how alike they were. They both had terrible tempers, and when they both lost it at the same time, it was a sight to behold. They both loved to tease their younger siblings. Rachel, Jake and Paul, the younger wolves in the pack. They were both stubborn, to the point of stupidity sometimes. Fiercely protective of anyone they considered their family, Rachel had been taken aback one day when she had seen Paul ram his fist into a side of a truck. He had done this because the driver had made a passing comment about Emily, calling her 'that scarred girl' from the Rez.  
>But because they were so similar, they knew which wavelength the other operated on. Being the same allowed them to be exactly what the other person needed. Whatever the situation, Rachel knew that neither of them would be caught on the back-foot where the other's reaction was concerned. They would be fine.<p>

Smiling to herself, she returned to her room, remembering belatedly that Billy was in Forks tonight. No longer able to drive himself, Charlie made sure that he stayed the night every time there was a game on. It provided both men some much needed comfort. Bella had married and moved out, and with Jake now living down the road, Billy was also alone too much.

Leaning against the doorway, she noticed Paul standing at her window; he had turned on her iPod in its dock while she was gone, and she could hear the muted strains of music. Recognizing the opening bars of the song that was just beginning suddenly made her feel very wide awake. Reaching out, she hit repeat on the song and turned the volume up just enough. Swinging away from the window, Paul gulped when he noticed his imprint leaning against the dressing table, wearing nothing but a towel and a slight smirk. Moving towards her, he was puzzled when she raised her hand to stop him. He was further confused when she interrupted his almost question by shaking her head.

As it clicked into place that his imprint was attempting to seduce him, Paul could have sworn that the temperature in the room shot through the roof. Swallowing hard, he anchored himself against her window and… wait… window? An open window? CRAP! Putting his lightning fast reflexes to good use, he turned and snapped the blinds closed. Looking back at the sound of a soft giggle, he was struck speechless at the sight before him. Rachel was leaning against the doorframe, and he could have sworn that the towel she had wrapped around her was a little lower than it had been a couple of seconds earlier.

Silent, he watched her step forward into the room and shut the door. All thoughts of Billy had long since fled his mind, and he couldn't have cared less if her father had been home. His very attractive imprint wanted to toy with him, and he would be damned before he said no to these games.

_The mood is set__  
><em>_So you already know what's next_

He could identify with that. He was losing all ability to be verbose at the moment, but he couldn't have cared less.

_I got a secret that I wanna show you, oh.__  
><em>_I got a Secret Imma drop em to the floor, oh._

And with no more warning than a more pronounced version of her earlier smirk, the towel dropped further. At that moment, Paul Walker was not a shape-shifter, protector of La Push. Rachel Black ceased to be the daughter of his council elder.  
>He was a boy, she was a girl.<p>

_No teasin',__  
><em>_You waited long enough.__  
><em>_Go deep,__  
><em>_Imma throw it at you,__  
><em>_Can't catch it.__  
><em>_Don't hold back,__  
><em>_You know I like it rough._

He was a wolf, and she was his other half. Feeling a primal need to claim her arising, he was about to step forward when she stopped him with a gesture again.

_So why you standin' over there witcha clothes on,__  
><em>_Baby strip down for me,__  
><em>_Go on take em off.__  
><em>_Don't worry baby,__  
><em>_Imma meet you half way,__  
><em>_Cause I know you wanna see me._

Gulping again (he seemed to do that a lot around Rachel) he reached up and began to loosen the buttons on his dark shirt. Rachel smiled approvingly, and licked her lips. That act alone had enough power to send him over the edge of reason.

Snapping the last button right off the shirt in his haste, he slipped it off and felt it flutter to the floor. Rachel took one look at his chiseled form and smiled wider. Paul only wished she knew the effect she was having on his senses right then.

_No heels,No shirt,No skirt,__  
><em>_All I'm in is just skin._

Looking further down his body, she indicated his belt. Which promptly came off seconds later. And he was beginning to think it wasn't his imagination after all. That towel was moving further down.

_No jeans,Take em off,__  
><em>_Wanna feel your skin.__  
><em>_You a beast, oh.__  
><em>_You know that I like that.__  
><em>

Dropping the towel to the floor, where it joined his discarded jeans, Rachel stepped forward and reached out her hand. Without hesitation, Paul took it and drew her to him.

_Come here baby,__  
><em>_All I wanna see you in is just skin._

Kissing her felt like the most potent drug he had heard of. He had tried smoking once, when he was 13. He couldn't imagine how anyone could be addicted to it. THIS however, he could imagine being addicted to. The taste of her. The feeling of her lips moving against his in a lazy dance as old as time.

_All in baby,__  
><em>_Don't hold nothing back.__  
><em>_Wanna take control,__  
><em>_Ain Nothing wrong with that__  
><em>_Say you likin' how I'm feelin'__  
><em>_Gotta tell me that.__  
><em>

Having had enough of the games, Rachel felt his arms snake around her, anchoring her to him, almost like he was trying to make her a part of him.

_Just put your skin baby on my skin._

She loved how that made her feel. Rachel was all for independent women and feminism, but she still believed in the romance of how a man was supposed to make his woman feel. And since it was Paul holding her, she didn't mind being 'his' woman. He was her man after all. But its not like she would ever let him use the term.

_All I wanna see you in is just skin.__  
><em>_All I wanna see you in is just skin._

The music faded into insignificance then, the slow sensual beat the only thing edging their consciousness as they let emotion take over. Paul would never be able to put into words how he felt about Rachel. He wasn't big on talking.  
>But the things he was saying with his body told Rachel that he worshipped her. Adored her. Loved her beyond reason.<p>

She was glad, because the way she loved him wasn't something she could put into words either.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>_ - _Yeah this bunny bit me and I had to get this out here. I was listening to this song and Paul & Rachel seemed to just jump out at me and that was the beginning of the end for me. I would definitely suggest listening to the song while reading this.  
>Skin – Rihanna<p>

Now that it is down on paper/interwebs, I'm hoping that 'Howling at the Moon' will have a smoother path.

As usual, I will trade wolf hugs for reviews.


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